Town sports oval to have an official name at long last

In its near 100-year history, no official name has ever been recorded for the oval on Clayton Road.

However that will soon change and the community has until August 13 to submit comment to the Shire of Narrogin on what they believe it should be named.

Traditionally, the Towns cricket and football Clubs, Narrogin Hawks Football Club and even the Narrogin Observer have simply dubbed the patch of grass Clayton Road Oval.

After consultation with the Towns Cricket Club and Narrogin Hawks Football Club, the council voted in favour of advertising their intent to nominate the name “JE Clayton Oval” to the Geographic Names Committee.

John Edward Clayton was a prominent landowner in town during the early 20th century.

Mr Clayton served as a justice of the peace from 1903, chairman of the Narrogin Roads Board from 1908 and was described as a “president of nearly every sporting club in the town at some time or other” in the 1981 book The Way Through — The Story of Narrogin.

The names Barry Cable Oval and Apex Arena have also been considered, however JE Clayton was favoured by the council given Mr Clayton’s connection to cricket and football in Narrogin as well as the Narrogin Agricultural Society, which he served as president.